Nurses and midwives across South Australia have been celebrated for their significant contribution to the health system, with the winners of the 2023 Nursing and Midwifery Excellence Awards named last night.
From helping the Royal Flying Doctor Service give lifesaving care, to developing the award-winning Breath Connect Play paediatric asthma program, securing the future of midwifery services in the Riverland and bringing virtual care to patients wherever they are, this year’s winners are truly outstanding examples of the diverse, high-quality services nurses and midwives deliver across the state.
Director SA Prison Health Services Andrew Wiley has been awarded the night’s prestigious Excellence in Leadership and Governance Award for his work championing a strong and robust nurse-led service across South Australia. His work has dramatically improved health outcomes for all people in custody, with in-reach models of care for specialist and allied health services as well as radiology.
Andrew was also pivotal in the planning and implementation of a state-wide Hepatitis C eradication program which sees our state having the lowest rate of infections among people in custody nationwide.
Overall, there were 31 individual finalists and three teams in the running for the awards, which recognise and celebrate the significant contribution that nurse and midwives make to the healthcare outcomes of all South Australians.
The winners are:
Excellence in Education: Gabby McCormack, Virtual Care, Women’s and Children’s Hospital Network
Excellence in Practice - Enrolled Nurse: Stephanie Clarke, EN Acute Stroke and Neurology, CALHN
Excellence in Practice – Registered Nurse: Fiona Bolton, Stomal Therapist, St Andrew’s Hospital.
Excellence in Practice - Registered Midwife: Amy Schwarz, Community Midwife, My Place, Yarrow Place, Women’s and Children’s Hospital Network.
Excellence in Practice - Mary Buckskin award: Barbra White, Flight Nurse Manager, Royal Flying Doctor Service.
Excellence in Practice – Aged Care: Samantha Miller, Site Operation Manager, Eldercare Allambi
Excellence in Practice - Early Career Nurse/Midwife: Portia Bradley, RN Streaky Bay Hospital, Eyre and Far North Local Health Network.
Excellence in Research and Knowledge Translation: Professor Jenny Fereday, Clinical Professor of Midwifery, UniSA
Excellence in Practice – Team: Midwifery Model of Care Team, Riverland Mallee Coorong Local Health Network
Excellence in Leadership and Governance: Andrew Wiley, Director SA Prison Health Service
Excellence in Leadership – Emerging Leader: (joint winners) Chelsea Meintjes, Advanced Paediatric Nurse Consultant, North Adelaide Local Health Network and Catherine Miller, Paediatric Vascular Access Nurse Consultant, FAAIRIS, South Australia Medical Imaging
For more information visit South Australian Nursing and Midwifery Excellence Awards.
Quotes
Attributable to Chris Picton
Nurses and midwives go above and beyond in their dedication to caring for patients, their families and their communities, delivering outstanding care to all South Australians.
From making sure the Royal Flying Doctor Service can reach the farthest corners of our state to sharing inclusive birthing practices, leading life-changing research and improving health outcomes, it is truly inspiring to hear these winners’ stories.
I’m so pleased to be able to celebrate these outstanding people. Congratulations to all the winners and finalists.
Attributable to Department for Health and Wellbeing Chief Executive Dr Robyn Lawrence
Nurses and midwives are an integral part of our health system, providing the essential care and support people require through the different stages of their life.
All the finalists and winners should be proud of their achievements – they make a significant difference in the lives of patients every day.
More about our winners
Excellence in Education: Gabby McCormack, Virtual Care, Women’s and Children’s Hospital Network
Gabby has assisted staff to launch two first-of-their-kind services in Australia over the past 18 months – a virtual emergency department and a hospital in the home service with virtual monitoring capabilities. With 30 years’ experience in paediatric nursing education, Gabby developed a competent nursing workforce who could deliver safe, consumer-focussed care and help ease hospital demand.
Excellence in Practice - Enrolled Nurse: Stephanie Clarke, EN Acute Stroke and Neurology, CALHN
Steph has been a well-loved member of the RAH stroke and neurology team since 2005, bringing a cheerful, positive and can-do attitude to her work. A leader in her team, Steph holds and manages a variety of portfolios across the stroke and neurology ward including instructor for tracheostomy training, education portfolio for falls prevention and patient safety and the enrolled nurse facilitator for her unit.
Excellence in Practice – Registered Nurse: Fiona Bolton, Stomal Therapist, St Andrew’s Hospital
Fiona commenced practice as a stomal therapy nurse in 1994 and since then she has held stomal therapy positions in three private hospitals, managed a colorectal ward for two years and had 10 years of experience as a community stomal therapist. A leader within the organisation, Fiona has developed tools and policies to enhance patient care, as well as offering holistic, evidence-based support.
Excellence in Practice - Registered Midwife: Amy Schwarz, Community Midwife, My Place, Yarrow Place, Women’s and Children’s Hospital Network.
Amy has been lauded for her work in developing the Community Midwife role within the My Place program. Consumers within the program are aged 12-25, are currently or were previously in DCP care and are at significant risk of their child being placed in statutory care. Amy has also established and delivered education to clinicians about the best practice approach of supporting consumers who identify as gender diverse and are pregnant.
Excellence in Practice - Mary Buckskin award: Barb White, Flight Nurse Manager, Royal Flying Doctor Service.
Barb has always ensured RFDS operate with the right equipment on the aircraft to cover all potential clinical scenarios; whether it be delivering a baby, managing a trauma patient or caring for a paediatric patient. 37% of RFDS patients cared for by the Port Augusta primary retrieval team identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. As a First Nations nurse, midwife and leader, Barb plays an important role in the RFDS's commitment to culturally sensitive patient care.
Excellence in Practice – Aged Care: Samantha Miller, Site Operation Manager, Eldercare Allambi
Samantha helped design and implement the pilot process that enabled Residential Care facilities to refer patients directly to South Australia’s Virtual Care Service, rather than having residents always need to move to a hospital to access care. Her leadership resulted in a successful pilot of the direct referral process that was then able to be implemented across South Australia - resulting in over 150 residents accessing the program.
Excellence in Practice - Early Career Nurse/Midwife: Portia Bradley, RN Streaky Bay Hospital, Eyre and Far North Local Health Network.
Portia has without a doubt thrived since moving to Streaky Bay. Her energy and can-do attitude is contagious and she has been a significant influence in driving positive culture change. She has completed education and training including TPPP, Central Venous Access Device theory and practical training, and a Rural and Remote X-Ray operators licence since arriving at the service, giving the community timely, high-quality care close to home.
Excellence in Research and Knowledge Translation: Professor Jenny Fereday, Clinical Professor of Midwifery, UniSA
Dr Fereday has made an outstanding contribution to Nursing and Midwifery research by prioritising evidence informed practice through research, evaluation and quality improvement. Her research contribution, including Meningococcal B studies and improvement in Fluvax uptake with SMS reminders, has shaped models of care and clinical services in midwifery, paediatrics and community nursing. She is also an esteemed mentor and member of the Channel 7 Children’s Research Foundation.
Excellence in Practice – Team: Midwifery Model of Care Team, Riverland Mallee Coorong Local Health Network
The Riverland Mallee Coorong Midwifery Group Practice midwives are a passionate, dedicated and enthusiastic team who are committed to providing women, babies and families with the best care possible. The team have overcome workforce shortages with a co-designed rural midwifery-led model of care at Riverland General Hospital, Murray Bridge Soldiers Memorial Hospital and soon to be Loxton Hospital. Their work has seen a surge in bookings, while reducing length of stay post birth.
Excellence in Leadership and Governance: Andrew Wiley, Director SA Prison Health Service
Andrew’s vision for an expanded, nurse-led model in prisons leads the nation. Initiatives include SA’s first Nurse Practitioner in a correctional facility, the first Aboriginal Health Practitioners in the state to work in a prison setting and service-wide expanded scopes for all staff. Andrew is always looking to measure and improve the care provided. This has led to SAPHS being involved in joint partnerships with universities and implementing health programs which improve outcomes for people in custody.
Excellence in Leadership – Emerging Leader: Chelsea Meintjes, Advanced Paediatric Nurse Consultant, North Adelaide Local Health Network
Chelsea is a rising star and a respected paediatric nurse leader. The award-winning Breath Connect Play paediatric asthma program was Chelsea's brainchild, it’s an example of how she has developed a program that offers practical support, home visits, working jointly with GP’s, using play as a tool in asthma education. This leads to improved quality of sleep, attendance at school and overall family quality of life for children with this chronic illness.
Excellence in Leadership – Emerging Leader: Catherine Miller, Paediatric Vascular Access Nurse Consultant, FAAIRIS, South Australia Medical Imaging.
Catherine has been involved with the FAAIRI service from planning to implementation, which supports patients with difficult intravenous access and how to recognise when support might be required. Referrals have almost eliminated business-hours referrals to anaesthetists, freeing them up for other roles. Catherine is currently leading a Quality Implementation Program to help remote Aboriginal families prepare their child for a procedure with written and filmed social stories.
